The Hawver and Lacy Families Nature’s PlaySpace is an interactive experience that will connect our youngest guests to nature in new ways.
Splash, climb, and crawl your way through our brand-new play area! Bathed in natural light, this sprawling space brings the best of the outdoors indoors. Children up to age 7 can explore a variety of nature-themed sections and stimulate their senses with over 25 fun interactives! Learn about the wetlands through a state-of-the-art water feature and oversized beaver lodge. Climb into a larger-than-life bird nest and treehouse as you explore the prairie. Plus so much more! Families with young children will be able to make deep connections to nature while encouraging child-led play!
Access to this exhibit is included with Museum admission.
A Closer Look
Nature’s PlaySpace brings six outdoor environments inside the Nature Museum for safe, child-led playtime! Each environment has its own dedicated play space with unique interactives, touchables, playables, and more! Plus, our youngest visitors can explore within their own intimate play area, complete with plushies and more!
Wetlands
Pay a visit to our busy beaver family! Crawl through the beaver lodge, cozy up with some fish plushies, and take a walk on the reptile side by trying out our wearable turtle shells!
Lake
Splash your way through the lake! Flow through the space with a variety of water table interactives, and see what other aquatic creatures you can find!
Dunes
Hop on over to the “sandy” dunes! Meet a family of chorus frogs and see if you can discover the very cool way our amphibian pals make noise!
Savanna
What can you spot from the two-story savanna treehouse? The city skyline! A nesting goose! Zoom down the treehouse slide to see even more!
River
Ride down the treehouse slide to make a “splash” in the river! “Swim” under the river bridge to head to the rideable fish. Plus, discover the secrets of the nearby musical lily pads and cattails!
Prairie
Take a trip to the prairie to discover a talkative prairie chicken, and her larger-than-life nest and eggs! Keep an eye out for woodpeckers hard at work and a stump of glowing fireflies!
Keep Exploring
There’s so much to discover in Nature’s PlaySpace when you look up high and down low. Anabel is here to walk us through just a few of the 20+ interactives that you can play with when you explore this exhibit!
Want to learn more about the ecosystems featured in Nature’s PlaySpace? Anabel’s here to walk us through what they are and what makes them so unique in this episode of Curious By Nature!
The Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum gratefully acknowledges and thanks:
Project Funding
Michelle & Bruce Hawver
Nicole & Todd Lacy
Peggy & Dick Notebaert
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
Exhibit Inspiration, Development, and Creation
Nature Museum developers, fabricators, designers and installers led by:
Deb Lahey
Alvaro Ramos
Doug Taron
Exhibit Development Partners
CBRE
Luci Creative
Norcon, Inc.
RedBox Workshop
Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB)
